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Saturday, 23 March 2013

A thriller on the cards

NEW DELHI: Finally, a day like one that
we'd hoped would mark the first of the series: there was needle, there
was lip, and for once there was to proceedings the semblance of a fight.
That it’s still an even game at the end of the second day should imply a
moral victory for Australia, such has been their sorry tour; for at
stumps on Wednesday, the harassed visitors held India to 266/8,
confining the lead to just four on a pitch on which the hosts will bat
last.

The much-maligned Nathan Lyon (5/94) was the pick of the
bowlers. Branded the culprit for his team's abject surrender in the
first Test – that set the tone for the series – the off-spinner was a
handful on a surface that was still resisting the transformation from
potential minefield to impossible batting track.

Lyon picked up
his fifth on the last ball of the day, nailing R. Ashwin, who had
earlier completed his ninth five-for on the morning, plumb in front. The
way Lyon troubled Sachin Tendulkar (32) was reward enough, although
tying
up the maestro these days counts for little, and his greater
achievement was in dislodging Cheteshwar Pujara (52) and Virat Kohli (1)
after
the 108-run opening stand between Pujara and Murali Vijay (57).

Regular
dismissals halted the hosts, before Ravindra Jadeja (43) nudged them
closer to wiping out the deficit. Jadeja featured in vital partnerships
for the sixth and seventh wicket - with MS Dhoni (24) and Ashwin
respectively - before he was out to a marginal 'lbw' call in Glenn
Maxwell's first over of the day.

Hundred for OjhaAustralia were earlier dismissed for 262 as Peter Siddle completed his maiden Test fifty and Pragyan
Ojha reached 100 wickets. Thirty-one were added before the final two
were taken, the wickets split between India's two chief spinners.

The
half-centurion was bowled by Ashwin – his ninth five-for in 16 Tests –
and Pattinson was taken by Kohli off Ojha. The left-armer thus became
the third-fastest Indian to 100 wickets, behind Erapalli Prasanna and
Anil Kumble, in his 22nd Test.

Century standPujara
opened again, this time to accommodate the debutant Ajinkya Rahane at
No.5, and helped himself to a rare half-century that he did not manage
to convert into three-figures. Half-volleys from James Pattinson and
Mitchell Johnson were driven authoritatively through covers, strays on
the pads were guided to fine-leg; Pujara was untroubled until he played
for the turn against Lyon, and was bowled when the delivery failed to
deviate enough.

Vijay was tested somewhat initially. Edges off
Johnson raced to the fence while Peter Siddle, who had earlier completed
a first-ever Test fifty in the morning, beat him with movement. But
when a bowler erred, Vijay pounced upon the opportunity like cat upon a
ball of wool.

Lyon was hit back and over and the Johnson flicked
through mid-wicket, before the Chennai batsman reached his third
successive half-century. Two wickets arrested the flow of runs after
lunch. Pujara’s solitary lapse in reading Lyon saw him on his way,
followed by the departure of Virat Kohli, who was out ‘lbw playing
across to the same bowler, for one.

Tendulkar strugglesTendulkar
strode in (for the first of his two last Test innings on home soil?)
and struggled against Lyon. Twice the off-spinner rapped him on the pads
– pure luck saving the batsman the first time – before the maestro
stepped out to lace him inside-out through covers.

It got even racier after tea.

Tendulkar
punched and flicked Siddle for fours to begin the session and then a
Siddle delivery erupted menacingly from a crack and slammed into Vijay,
who gloved it to the wicket-keeper. Rahane was then accorded a grand
welcome on debut as a bouncer thunked into his helmet, a strangulating
close-in field in place.

Debut dashedA
maiden Test boundary later, Rahane popped a catch to backward short-leg
off Lyon, giving way to Dhoni, who creamed it through covers for a four
first ball. The Indian captain was dropped on 11 by Steve Smith at
backward short-leg, but in the same over Lyon netted the bigger fish:
Tendulkar was finally given out leg-before for 32 after playing back and
missing, India's score on 180.

Dhoni and Jadeja spent an
entertaining time in the middle. Jadeja got into a bit of a verbal
scuffle with an animated David Warner; Dhoni ran straight down the
pitch, much to counterpart Shane Watson's disgust; umpire Aleem Dar had
to get a word in to prevent an escalation of events.

The Super
Kings were whittling briskly away at the deficit when Dhoni pulled
Pattinson casually and straight to mid-wicket, India still 52 runs
behind. Another Super King came out in the form of Ashwin and joined
Jadeja for more crucial runs, taking India nearer to a lead that may
prove game-changing on such a treacherous pitch.